


right in front of you

by impulserun



Series: the world but as the world [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Theatre, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-09
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:54:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23553382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/impulserun/pseuds/impulserun
Summary: In which Jet is dead set on recruiting the mysterious guy in the red hoodie for their university's drama club.
Relationships: Jet & Zuko (Avatar), Jet/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: the world but as the world [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1695217
Comments: 9
Kudos: 189





	right in front of you

Jet knows from the moment he lays eyes on him that he’s perfect. He hasn’t been in drama club very long—not at his current school at least—but he knows a kindred spirit when he sees one. And the guy walking down the hall in the dark red hoodie is _perfect_.

“You guys go ahead,” he says to Smellerbee and Longshot. “I’ll catch up with you at the lecture hall.”

Smellerbee shoots him a questioning look, but after a fashion Longshot simply shrugs and they turn back to their original path. Grinning, Jet melts into the crowd, watching Red Hoodie as he walks to… wherever he’s heading. Like attracts like and all that, and something about the guy has Jet utterly convinced that he’d be a great addition to their club. Sure, he hasn’t heard the guy speak yet, but he has high hopes. The guy has a _look_. He has _charms_. He has the _X-factor_.

Jet is so preoccupied with his fantasies of putting Red Hoodie on stage (he’d make a great brooding anti-hero or tortured villain character for sure) that he doesn’t notice the suddenly-twisty route that his target is taking, or how the corridors are becoming less crowded the more he follows him, or how he is definitely going to be late to Professor Long’s lecture.

Red Hoodie turns down a corridor; Jet happily follows after, and finds himself suddenly and violently whirled around and shoved against the wall.

“Who are you?” Red Hoodie hisses, pressing his arm against Jet’s throat. “What do you want from me?”

And, oh. Jet has gotten a good look at his face, and he finds himself hastily re-evaluating all of his plans, because this guy is male lead material _for sure_.

“Hi,” says Jet, mustering up his brightest, most award-winning smile. “D’you wanna join drama club?”

Red Hoodie blinks. A lock of his dark hair falls into his eyes, soft golden amber and mismatched for the angry burn scar that stretches across the left half of his face. It’s… not what Jet was expecting. But it’s not a bad look, now that the initial shock has passed; the asymmetry of it is even kind of intriguing. Jet can already picture how the clever application of stage make-up will play up the contrast, throw his face into sharp relief under the harsh stage lights.

“… What?” says Red Hoodie.

“Drama club,” Jet repeats. “As soon as I saw you, I knew exactly who you were—”

“Wait a minute—”

“You’re an outcast, like me—”

“Is this about my _RENT t-shirt_?”

“And us outcasts have to stick together,” Jet finishes firmly. His gaze flicks down to the guy’s shirt—plain black, round collar, the RENT logo printed in white—and he feels his spirits pick up. He knew he had a good feeling about this guy! “We have to watch each other’s backs. Because no one else will.”

And, now that he’s getting a closer look at him, Red Hoodie really does look like he needs someone to watch his back. There’s a wary, cautious look about him, and he still hasn’t let Jet go, which, okay, _strong_ , the backstage crew would love that, but also Jet would appreciate it if Red Hoodie would stop trying to choke him.

“What do you say?” Jet probes, flashing another winning smile. “Join us?”

“… No,” Red Hoodie growls (oh man, if only Red Hoodie could project that to an entire filled auditorium, the _possibilities_ ). “Leave me alone.”

He shoves Jet against the wall again for good measure—oof, he felt that, it’s probably going to bruise—and stalks off. _Peak form_ , Jet sighs happily. He’d make an amazing Inspector Javert.

“I’ll get you to change your mind!” he calls after him. “You’ll see!”

Then he looks at his watch and curses. Professor Long is going to kill him.

**Author's Note:**

> Dialogue taken from _The Serpent's Pass_. Can be read as gen or pre-r/s. I mean, it's _Jet_.


End file.
